Genetics

Pleistocene sediment DNA from Denisova Cave

Max Planck researchers have analyzed DNA from 728 sediment samples from Denisova Cave. Their study provides unprecedented detail about the occupation of the site by both archaic and modern humans over 300,000 years. The researchers ...

Health

Light pollution linked to preterm birth increase

Scientists conducted the first study to examine the fetal health impact of light pollution based on a direct measure of skyglow, an important aspect of light pollution. Using an empirical regularity discovered in physics, ...

Dentistry

The toll of shrinking jaws on human health

For many of us, orthodontic work—getting fitted with braces, wearing retainers—was just a late-childhood rite of passage. The same went for the pulling of wisdom teeth in early adulthood. Other common conditions, including ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

The mystery of what makes a joke funny—but only to some people

How do you like the following joke from Sumeria in about 1900BC? "Something which has never occurred since time immemorial; a young woman did not fart in her husband's lap." Or this classic from Egypt, 1600BC? "How do you ...

Psychology & Psychiatry

Bad break-ups may not trigger weight gain from emotional eating

That pint of ice cream after a nasty breakup may not do as much damage as you think. Despite the emotional turmoil, people on average do not report gaining weight after a relationship dissolution, according to new research.

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